Placenta: what is the organ that binds mother and child and what is it for
The placenta is the temporary organ created in the uterus to connect the expectant mother and the fetus. Its function is essential to the life of the baby that will be born, precisely because the placenta is the filter through which the baby's nutrients, respiratory gases, antibodies and waste pass. The health of the placenta is very important precisely for these functions, and based on its positions, sometimes atypical or problematic, we speak of placenta previa, anterior placenta or posterior placenta. Let's see the general characteristics of the placenta, and the cases in which it presents anomalies of position.
The placenta: how is it made and how does it work?
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The placenta has a nutritional function towards the baby, and acts as a filter for any vital function. Through the placenta, the baby also receives its antibodies from the mother, and the placental environment itself defends against any infections. Some infections of the mother, however, pass to the child, precisely because some functions are in common. The placenta changes as the fetus grows, and the presence of a part of it, the chorionic villi, ensures contact between the arterial and venous system of the mother and that of the fetus. Another important function of the placenta is the production of hormones: the first and most important is the chorionic gonadotropin, which stimulates the development of the corpus luteum which in turn produces the progesterones necessary for the progress of pregnancy.
Placenta previa: symptoms and risks for childbirth
The placenta, depending on its position in the uterus, may present some disturbance or difficulty, especially at the time of delivery. One of the possible cases is that of placenta previa: usually the placenta occurs in the upper part of the uterus, but in the case of placenta previa shows at the bottom, near the neck of the uterus. For this reason, placenta previa is also called low placenta. At the time of delivery, placenta previa can obstruct the passage into the baby's neck of the uterus, especially the head and shoulders. The greatest risk of placenta previa is in fact that of major bleeding in the case of natural birth. The symptoms of placenta previa are unfortunately invisible in the first trimester, and it is often discovered during the morphological ultrasound of the second trimester. The symptoms of the last two trimesters are mainly blood loss, and even during childbirth the risk is that of excessive In several cases, the riskiest ones, placenta previa resolves with a scheduled cesarean section.
Placenta previa is also classified as marginal or central. The marginal one does not involve major problems or risks, because although it is low it does not completely occlude the birth canal at the time of cervical dilation and birth. Central placenta previa, on the other hand, occludes the birth canal completely, or almost completely. This is the case when a caesarean delivery is safe, and must be scheduled.
Anterior placenta and posterior placenta
The placenta, again based on its positions, can also be classified as an anterior or posterior placenta. The anterior placenta is positioned in contact with the wall of the mother's abdomen, and at the moment of birth it does not give any particular problems. The posterior placenta, on the other hand, is positioned on the back of the uterus, in correspondence and proximity to the mother's spine. . Also in this case, the posterior position does not involve difficulties for childbirth, as long as the posterior placenta is not low, ie previa.
Detachment of the placenta: symptoms and consequences
In some cases it may happen that a placental abruption occurs: the placenta detaches from the uterus before gestation is completed. The detachment can be minimal or partial, and does not create particular problems, but if the detachment is almost total, The problems. Given its nutritional function for the baby, a completely detached placenta almost certainly leads to premature birth, especially to avoid the danger of stillbirth of the fetus. Often this phenomenon occurs from the twentieth week onwards, so the baby it is already developed and it can be tried to give birth. The symptoms of the detached placenta are mainly intense and frequent contractions, blood loss, abdominal pain and a noticeable reduction in the baby's movements. In these cases, an early check and diagnosis is necessary. obligation.
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The placenta after childbirth
The placenta, given its vital and energetic value, is very precious. But what happens after giving birth? The placenta, together with the other membranes created during pregnancy, is eliminated from the uterus after the birth of the baby, in that phase called afterbirth. Even the umbilical cord, thanks to its wealth of stem cells, can be stored or donated, to create a bank of stem cells to be used to fight many blood diseases. The placenta is so precious for the life of the baby that a new mode of birth was born in the 70s, the Lotus birth, also called integral birth: the baby, through the umbilical cord, is not immediately separated from its placenta, but it is left to dry waiting for the cord to come off by itself. In this way, the baby would receive a less traumatic and violent birth, and would be able to receive nourishment and immune defenses from the placenta and the cord even after birth.
